catherine the great
Catherine was born on May 2, 1729, in Settin Pomerania. Her birth name was Sophia Augusta. Her father was Christan Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst. The family of Anhalt-Zebst was one of the poorest and most obscure of all the German princely families. Her father did not become the reining Prince of Zerbst until Catherine was thirteen years old. In 1743, when Catherine was fifteen her mother had found her a husband. She was to marry Grand Duke Peter of Holstein, he was sixteen. When Catherine met her husband she thought that he was weak, egotistical, unbalanced, ineffective and entirely Lutheran and German in his attitude. Catherine was to convert to Russian Orthodoxy after a year of instruction and education at the Russian court. She was married in 1745, and became Grand Duchess Catherine of Russia. Catherine's life as a Grand Duchess from 1745 to 1762 was very difficult. Her and her husband were never on good terms. Catherine thought that she would have to make her own way and find her own place at the Russian court. She then learned to speak Russian, to convince to court of her good will. She studied rituals of orthodoxy and was careful to show respect for her new religion. While she was doing this she and her husband disagreed mor
The Pugachev Revolt was an important event in Catherine's reign. It showed her the great difficulties of keeping the order and security of her empire. It convinced her that while the troops were fighting at the front line, she could not allow her empire to fall into anarchy behind them. The Pugachev revolt reinforced Russian Policy in that century and Catherine's own view on social reform. Against her Turkish neighbors in the south, Catherine was even more successful, Since the seventh century, rulers in Moscow had aimed at the Black Sea, but no success was achieved. It was only in Catherine's reign that Russian armies successfully drove the Turks from the southern lands of Russia and opened the territories to Russian colonization. So it was not only a political victory of Russia over the Turks but an economic and social victory as well, because these land provided areas of expansion for Russia. In 1762 Empress Elizabeth of Russia died, and Grand Duke Peter ascended the throne as, Tsar Peter III. He remained Emperor for six months. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Catherine issued the Guberniia Reform in 1775, creating new institutions for the government of the provinces. She replaced Peter's large provinces by fifty smaller ones and divided and rationalized the operations of provincial administration. Besides from these rearrangements the Guberniia Reform also made room for aristocratic influence in local affairs. Her progression continued in the Charter of the Gentry 1785, it was designed to guarantee the privileges accumulated by the aristocracy. The Charter of the Gentry recognized the nobles as absolute owners of their land and their serfs. IT exempted them form there punishment except a formal court sentence; it exempted them from corporal punishment. It also gave them the right to own industrial concerns and operate fairs. The Gentry in each province were further entitled to form a C
Some common words found in the essay are:
Grand Duchess, Pugachev Revolt, Peter III, Legislative Commission, Corporation Nobility, Charter Gentry, Black Sea, Guberniia Reform, Prussiann Austrian, European Enlightenment, catherine's reign, pugachev revolt, grand duchess, legislative commission, russian court, grand duke peter, developed academy, provincial administration, duke peter, grand duke, influence poland,
Approximate Word count = 1317
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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